ATM fraud near Holiday Inn

Recommended Posts

On a recent visit to Chiang Mai I was taken for close to 1000 USD, I blame the ATM outside the Holiday INN as it was the last transaction I did before I checked my bank statement. I only used two ATM's, One at the airport in Bangkok the other as mentioned. So I reported to my bank and they had to cancel my card and fedex a replacement. Long story short watch your transactions.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

If you have online access to your Debit/Credit Card records, you should be able to determine where the charge against your account was made. Sometimes it will be local fraud, other times international.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

If you have online access to your Debit/Credit Card records, you should be able to determine where the charge against your account was made. Sometimes it will be local fraud, other times international.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

May we have some detail on how you were taken? Purchases on your card? Withdrawals?

There where charges on my account after words from different locations around the world. Online transactions. It's as if once my card was used in the ATM everyone and his brother started charging against the card.

Whose Bank was the machine? What ever it was, there is a telephone number on the ATM - Call it.

Its not much use calling the owner of the ATM, other than to inform them that there may have been a skimmer etc in place a week ago. The card provider would have already informed them after the fact. The local ATM or bank isnt responsible for cancelling cards, issuing new card, reimbursing funds etc, the card issuer is.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

There are ways to prevent similar situations by putting daily limits on ATM transactions and providing for SMS and email notifications. For example, I have a 20,000 baht daily limit on my SCB debit card and I get an SMS and email notifying me of use of the card. Those notifications occur within a very few seconds of that use (likewise when I either simply access my account online or make any use of purchases or whatever online). I've never had a problem myself but at least am assured that any loss I ever suffer due to fraud will be limited to no more than 20,000 baht.

Plus, when notified by SMS and email, there's an immediate method for me to advise that it wasn't me that used the card and I suspect there is a lag in time (similar to western credit cards) to stop the flow of funds from my account; however, I can't say how effective that method is as I've never had to use it before.

There are ways to prevent similar situations by putting daily limits on ATM transactions and providing for SMS and email notifications. For example, I have a 20,000 baht daily limit on my SCB debit card and I get an SMS and email notifying me of use of the card. Those notifications occur within a very few seconds of that use (likewise when I either simply access my account online or make any use of purchases or whatever online). I've never had a problem myself but at least am assured that any loss I ever suffer due to fraud will be limited to no more than 20,000 baht.

Plus, when notified by SMS and email, there's an immediate method for me to advise that it wasn't me that used the card and I suspect there is a lag in time (similar to western credit cards) to stop the flow of funds from my account; however, I can't say how effective that method is as I've never had to use it before.

That right, there are lots of precautions you can take. The main one is to upgrade to a chip ATM card, that cant be skimmed in the usual methods.

The SMS notifications is great for a local account and Thai phone, but not much use for tourists if using an ATM card from home, you either need to send the SMSs to a temporary Thai number (not usually an option) or keep your home phone running on roaming to recieve the SMS.

Email option also involves firing up a local or roaming phone (if you want notification out and about), regular check of emails, set to ping for new emails . etc